On Fire
by angelkicat
Summary: She never could tell him, and the answer to "why?" was a mystery. [HinaNaru]("On Fire"- Switchfoot)


_**On Fire**_

She was crying again.

Or, she was trying not to, but anyone could see that she was on the verge of tears. She was sitting uncomfortably under a willow tree near her family's garden. But what was most depressing was that she stared into the ground with longing, as if wishing for it to envelope and comfort her. Both he and she knew that dirt wasn't as comforting as it appeared to be.

Of course, he knew best of all.

She stole a glance at him as he walked closer to her.

"Why are you here, Nieji-nii-san?" she asked turning her face away from him.

"You are crying." He stated obviously, still not answering her question.

"That doesn't explain why you're here, Neji-nii-san." She replied sadly.

Her formality annoyed him greatly, though he didn't show it.

"You were crying, so I came." Again stated plainly, like it was a regular event.

"Go ahead." With a fresh tear streaming down her flushed cheeks, "Go ahead. Tease me like everyone else like at that meeting with the council. Tell me what I don't deserve." She couldn't hold back the tears anymore. She didn't care if he was there, it didn't matter, as she let her sobs drown out the sound of her beating heart and the footsteps coming near her.

"_They tell you where you need to go,_

_Tell you when you need to leave,_" she glanced up at him and saw that his had softened in understanding as he spoke.

"_They tell you what you need to know,_

_Tell you who you need to be._

_But everything inside, you know there's more than what you've heard,_

_There's so much more than empty conversations_

_Filled with empty words._" And he saw her eyes widen and soften and her cheeks flush a rosy color as her thoughts drifted, wishing another someone was here beside her. Neji didn't miss a blink of her eye and analyzed it with full acknowledgement.

"_And you're on fire when he's near you,_

_You're on fire when he speaks,_

_You're on fire, burning, at these mysteries._" He finished and turned on his heel; almost embarrassed to be talking of such nonsense. Without looking back he said, "I know." And disappeared beyond the trees.

It was Neji's way of comforting. The fact, just the fact alone, that someone understood her was relieving. Even though he didn't hold her and let her cry on his sleeve it was comforting to know that he _knew._ "On fire," is what he said. She took it quite close to heart.

* * *

She saw him training once- that boy that was burning her heart to ashes. She wished, more than hopefully, to see him more often. She was hoping, and yet not hoping, for a chance of confrontation.

_Give me one for time around,_

_Give me one more chance to see._

Her heart ached, her breathing stopped, and she blushed nervously. How was it that he always did this to her?

_Give me everything you are,_

_Give me one more chance to be near you._

She wished, almost childishly, to tell him what he meant to her. To tell him that he was her only hope.

_When everything inside me looks like everything I hate,_

_You are the hope I have for change,_

_You are the only chance I'll take._

He had seen her and was running up to her.

"Hiya, Hinata! What'cha doing here?" he asked kindly with his blue eyes smiling with him.

"Na-Naruto-kun," she spoke timidly, "I was just watching."

Oh, how she could just tell him now! To watch his face light up to know someone loved him! To kiss him! To hug him! This was her chance!

_When I'm on fire when you're near me,_

_I'm on fire when you speak,_

_And I'm on fire, burning at these mysteries_

_Mysteries..._

_Mysteries..._

_Mysteries..._

He sat down beside near her and looked up at the sky, catching he breath beside her.

_You're on fire_

_You're on fire_

_You're on fire_

Her breath was catching up with her beating heart as she stared at him. His eyes, which were focused on the distance, now focused on her eyes. She felt like she could drown in him and his scent, right then and there.

_I'm standing on the edge of me,_

_I'm standing on the edge of me,_

_I'm standing on the edge of me,_

_I'm standing on the edge of me,_

_I'm standing on the edge of everything I've never been before,_

If it went like how she dreamt, she could be a girlfriend, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, anything she every dreamed she could be. The road she was on diverged again.

_I'm standing on the edge of me,_

_I'm standing on the edge._

Just to say something, do something, anything.

_I'm on fire when you're near me,_

_I'm on fire when you speak,_

_Yeah, I'm on fire, burning, at these mysteries._

He got up from his seated position and spoke. "Well, I gotta keep training if I'm gonna be Hokage! I guess I'll see you later." He turned his back to her and was walking away.

She got up as well and her heart froze and softened all at once. Her chance was gone...again. But maybe, she would get another one.

"Thank you," she said softly.

He turned to look back at her, but she had disappeared beyond the trees.

_These mysteries_

_These mysteries_

_You're a mystery._

He shook his head sadly,

"_You're a mystery._"


End file.
